Permanent building structures used to provide shaded areas are well-known. Such structures typically include a support framework comprising a plurality of upstanding support columns on which structural members are attached. The structural members are normally a plurality of arched or straight pipes that cross each other at an apex or central point of the structure. A cover, usually formed of a polymeric material such as polyethylene, is supported by the structural members to provide a shaded enclosure. A wire rope is supported in and along the periphery of the cover and is used to retain the cover on the structural members. A plurality of such modular structures are typically placed in a side-by-side and/or back-to-front manner to shade a large area.
While such structures have proven generally useful for their intended purpose, they are often subject to failure during certain weather conditions. In particular, high winds have been known to cause complete structural failure of such building structures, rendering such prior art constructions impractical and costly in many geographic areas. Moreover, the cover material in such prior art constructions is typically not resistant to prolonged exposure to the sun, and the materials used for the cover are not fireproof. A further problem is that such canopy structures of the prior art do not provide enough structural support for the cover when the cover is wet or otherwise weighted due to snow, for example. These conditions also contribute to the poor structural integrity of the prior art structures.
There is thus a need to provide a canopy structure that overcomes these and other problems associated with the prior art.